The Story That Must Not Be Told

A strong literary fiction title, critically much acclaimed and shortlisted for two major prizes, now available in paperback. Touches on subjects of much contemporary relevance like urban poverty. Shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008 and The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2012. Simon Jesukumar, an ageing widower in Chennai, passionately aspires to do something worthwhile with what remains of his life. Dominated by his wife during their otherwise happy married life, he struggles to break free from the haunting memories of the iron hand with which she led him. His aspirations are stirred by his nagging guilt about the slum, optimistically called Sitara, next door. As the story plunges into the heart of the slum, it brings together the most unlikely characters. Simon begins to understand why good intentions and small acts of mercy are no answer to the problems of a section of humanity he never knew. Simon’s dilemma is ours: How can, or how should, the well-off help the poor? Coming from one of the finest chroniclers of modern Indian life, The Story That Must Not be Told holds up a mirror to a moving, unseen, and deeply unsettling reality. Quotes ‘An absorbing read’—The Hindu ‘Poignant, unsettling and… thought-provoking’—Deccan Herald ‘In its panoramic ambition, The Story That Must Not Be Told is reminiscent of the classic 19th-century realist novel’—Biblio ‘The Story That Must Not Be Told should rightfully find its way in any compilation of ten best Indian novels in English of all times’—Reading Hour About the Author Kavery Nambisan is from Coorg district of Karnataka. She graduated from St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and did her surgical training and FRCS in England. Since then she has devoted most of her working life to practice in rural India and has worked as a surgeon in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. She is the author of several children’s books and novels. Her latest novel, The Story That Must Not Be Told, was shortliste